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Glendronach 15 revival

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@RianC
RianC replied

@Wierdo - In a word, no, but thanks! Is this the 15 that was rumoured to have much older whisky in the last batches?

5 years ago 0

@casualtorture

Everyone seems to adore this whisky, I'll be anxious to see what all the hype is about.

5 years ago 0

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RianC, I doubt this will have older whisky (or very little) in it. Glendronach now has 15 YO stocks. Previously, 2011 - 2016, they did not, and it was assumed to be older juice because it was bottled as Single Malt which indicated the origin was the same distillery. There was a hiatus during which no distillate was produced, and as a result, older whisky was bottled as 15 YO.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Wierdo replied

@RianC they were rumoured to be putting older whisky in it at one point. It's just a cracking big sherry whisky done properly (46%, natural colour etc). It's on a par with Glenfarclas 15 imo.

It was really popular and they ran out of stock.

It seems to have gone up about £15 in its 3 year absence IIRC. But I guess it will be in demand so they can charge that.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@nooch
nooch replied

@Wierdo I had it and wasn’t a huge fan. I preferred the glenfarclas.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote replied

@nooch I agree, the Glenfarclas 15 is better and cheaper.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

Will they call it "Re-revival"?

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

Wierdo replied

I didn't realise they do a high strength Glenfarclas 15

thewhiskyexchange.com/p/26058/…

Might have to snaffle a bottle of that for Christmas!

IIRC the Glendronach 15 was similar to the Glenfacrlas but had a bit more of an obvious richer, sherry cask presence, which led to the rumours of older casks being in there.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@Wierdo - Yes, it looks rather tempting doesn't it!? stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye

5 years ago 0

Wierdo replied

Regards your question @RianC this is interesting.

wordsofwhisky.com/glendronach-is-a-lot-old…

Because production at the distillery was shut down from 1996-2001 then by definition Glendronachs of a certain age are a fair bit older than what it says on the label.

The 12 year old they are selling now will have been produced after 2001 and so will be 12 years old.

The 15 that they are re-re-releasing will have been produced after 2001 and so will be 15 years old.

But the 18 they are selling will have been produced in 1996 at the latest. And so if you buy a Glendronach 18 that was bottled in 2018 it's actually 22 year old whisky.

I had the 'dronach 18 on my wish list anyway so that's just made it a little more interesting as a potential purchase.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor replied

Glenfarclas 15 Cask Strength? How wonderful. They could just ramp up production of that. They wouldn't have to make any other products. Glenfarclas 15 CS would be more than enough. Glenfarclas 15 is enough to make Glenfarclas better than most distilleries. Glenfarclas 15 CS would be more than enough.

Will I ever see this Glenfarclas 15 CS? Probably not. But I would like to.

5 years ago 5Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@Victor - It's a bottling exclusive to The Whisky Exchange. I'd firstly assumed it to be a one off but it seems they keep bottling it year on year. I think it has to be my xmas priority no.1! If it is the OB 15 at CS (it's supposed to be select casks in small batches) then I could see it being absolutely stellar.

It may be more difficult for you but perhaps TWE will deliver to your state area? I'd imagine the costs to be quite prohibitive though . . .

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Wierdo replied

First review is in.

malt-review.com/2018/10/…

8/10 is a good score. These guys are tight with their marks. I've read reviews where they praise a whisky and urge people to get a bottle and then give it 7/10.

Oh and the wife asked me for a Christmas and birthday (November) list the other day. Have a wild guess what went on it!

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

RikS replied

@Wierdo I've actually tried the new GD15 at the London show. I think it's different from the older version which was subject to some 'hype' because of the distillery's downtime and speculation (or fact) that there was a lot of old juice mixed into it.

Impression? From what I recall, doing a heat-to-head on the day with GD15, 18 and 21, the one I liked the best was actually the 18. Granted, this wasn't a very elaborate tasting as it was at a show and I didn't spend that much considered time, but the 15 was good, the 21 was a bit 'too much' of a good thing, and the 18 hit the mark for me (disclaimer: opinion may be revised possibly in the future)

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

Wierdo replied

@RikS I haven't tried the 18 yet. I get what you mean about the 21 being too much of a good thing. I'd say from my limited experience that sherried whiskies shouldn't be too old. They're good at 12 years and then some time between 15-18 years they're really good. After that they become one dimensional.

I'll whisper it on here. But I had a sample of the Glenfarclas 40 for my 40th a few years ago. It was decent but I actually think the 15 is a better whisky. Granted I only had a dram of the 40 and I'm on my third bottle of the 15. So I probably haven't given the 40 a fair crack. But IIRC the 15 has a bit more going on besides the fruit cake notes.

5 years ago 4Who liked this?

RikS replied

@Wierdo read my comments on my recent tasting of the farclas 40... very similar impression. Of course its not bad, but my experience wasnt parallelled by the age / cost. Other expressions id rather have. Shhhhhh

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

RikS replied

@paddockjudge How shall I read it? That if I buy a 2019 bottling of the a18 yrs Allardice, I actually get about 1/4 of 24yrs old juice in the bottle?

5 years ago 0

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RikS, that's a unique take on it, having 1/4 of the 18 YO 2019 as 24 YO whisky. What do you suppose the rest of the bottle will be? My interpretation would place the entire contents of the 18YO 2019 iteration at 24 years of aging...because there is a six year gap when production stopped. Twenty-four year-old whisky would be the youngest whisky in that bottle...if it was released in 2019.

Note of interest, had there been a release in 2016 of 15 YO, 18 YO, and 21 YO, they all would have been 21 years aged.

5 years ago 0

RikS replied

@paddockjudge Hmm... I suppose you must be right, I was just looking at the darker blue shade (and do acknowledge my limitations on statistics and graphs..). Though, it seems they have juice from 2001, but I suppose they can't vat that in... fair enough blush worried

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RikS, what Glendronach did, releasing age statement whisky, and understating the age, is a totally contrarian approach to building their client base; it practically mocks current industry trends. These guys are bad ass! Compass Box and Glendronach, both dragon slayers. These are the players we should be backing.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

RikS replied

@paddockjudge I cannot but agree. I like that compass box is upfront about vat they're mixing, and publishing their 'recipes' (pun intended there, you saw it!) rather than obfuscating content behind all kinds of weird Norse references. And same for GD (even if I do not like the 12). I suppose that once I get another financial injection, I shalst take your rally to support literally and get my hands on some extra-old juice in the shape of an Allardice or two (for after my head-to-head with the 12, 15 (new), 18 and 21 it was the 18 that appealed the most to my palate.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RikS, good one! I've had some nice Glendronachs, single cask and 12 YO to be specific. I own and enjoy the 15 YO and 21 YO, I like them, but they do not rock my world. A Single Cask G'dronach 17 YO 1994 was very much to my liking (thank you @Nozinan and @Nosebleed). Oddly enough, I've not tried the 18 YO Allardice. I've yet to meet a Compass Box I didn't like; however, price has become prohibitive on some of the blended malts. Perhaps, as you so aptly put it, once I get another financial injection, I shalst take your rally to support literally and get my hands on some extra-old juice in the form of a Compass Box harvest.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

RikS replied

@paddockjudge I have yet to try any compass box, but I suppose I shall now have to put that on my list and toast to your honour once cracked. Any particular expression you would recommend that's within 'financial reach'?

5 years ago 0

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@paddockjudge the Glendronach and by extension Benriach method was indeed something to behold. They built their brand the right way, with an array of age, profile types, non chill filtering and proper ABV's all around, also a kick-ass single barrel program.

Sadly I don't know how the Brown Forman ownership will affect all this. It's not because they are a big player that it bothers me (I think BF have done good things of late, especially with Jack Daniel's).

They will have an eye to the return on their investment. We've already seen the costs of Benriach and GD single casks jump drastically, especially for the few older ones available. The ABV of some Benriach expressions have been dropped to 43% as well, also it ses every Glendronach expression is awash in PX when it's really that rich Oloroso profile that drew a lot of people in... Yes I know some folks love that PX to death, I'm not judging.

Wow was I just a downer? On a positive note the new GlenAllachie whiskys are just hitting shelves, we just need to give Billy Walker and Co. a year or so to do a bunch of cask finishes to get everyone jazzed up.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@RikS, Great King Street is an affordable place to start.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@paddockjudge - Good call, I'd say I'd pick that over the Glasgow blend.

@RikS - My favourite of the Compass Box whiskys I've had is Spice Tree. Under £50 and lives up to the 'spice' in the title. A tad youthful but a well put together blended malt.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@cricklewood - I don't see that post as a downer. I think you're calling it as you see it and highlighting the good stuff as well as the more negative happenings in the whisky world. I'd call that useful info. and part of the reason I bother coming on a site like this relaxed

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@RikS I purchased a bottle of Oak Cross for my club and it was a favorite of many, it's a dependable dram.

You could do well with that or spice tree which is basically the same components but with a different barrel regime. So it turns out to be spicier and bolder.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@RianC thanks hadn't posted much of late and didn't want to be a "negative Nelly" right out of the gate.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

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@cricklewood@casualtorture

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